WHAT would you do if you
unexpectedly found access to a huge amount of money and there was no one around to witness
it? And there was absolutely no proof that you ever found it? Would you rejoice in your
good fortune because you no longer had to worry about paying a mountain of bills and money
obligations? Would you give up this once in a lifetime happenstance? What would you
do?

JUST recently we all had a chance to
examine our conscience when a 22year old busboy who sat waiting at a bus stop picked up
and turned in to authorities a large sack that fell out of an armored truck in Los
Angeles. This sack contained $203,000 in cash. Apparently the doors at the back of
the truck were not secured and the money slipped through undetected into the street.
Ascension Franco Gonzales was alone when he saw the bag fall to the ground. The truck
continued on its way with the drivers unaware of the occurrence. This event triggered a
multitude of feelings to those reading the story in the LA Times for that money was a
dream find for anyone.

IF we do not delve too
deeply into the range of emotions felt, we would think that Gonzales did not go through
all the uncertainty humans face when something this spectacular happens to them. For this
is a fairy tale story with a strong moral twist. A chance to measure how strong honesty
should prevail in such a circumstance. Ideally, a Christians first thought would be
that the money does not belong to the finder therefore it must be returned to its rightful
owner. That Christian would immediately try to locate the owner or give it to the proper
authorities. This would be a perfect world. Or nonbelievers might call it fantasyland. But
this is exactly what we as Christians would hope to do if this occurrence happened to us.

SADLY this is not a
perfect world and we are all sinful by nature. Being the believers we think we are, we
would still put ourselves through all the escape routes to still our conscience with
thoughts such as the following:

(1) "They don't need the money
I do".

(2) "Who will know?"

(3) "I will give half to
charity and the rest can go toward buying something nice for my family."

(4) "Nobody saw the money fall
out of the truck or saw me picking it up so I am safe in keeping it.

(5) "I can leave the country
and start fresh or maybe I should start a business of my own and then I could provide
jobs for needy souls.

Or how about:

(6) "God wanted me to have
this or it wouldnt have happened to me".

THESE are just a few of
the countless ways in which the human mind goes into high speed when larceny rears its
ugly head.

THE man who found the
money agonized through all the above. And more. Gonzales, whose meager salary as a
dishwasher in a restaurant is $1300 per month, showed admirable courage in spite of the
strong temptations he faced. But there were also other reasons he had to think
about; if he went to the police to return the money he had to consider the fact that he
might be seen as an undocumented immigrant and thrown out of the country. And questions
could be raised if he suddenly started spending so much cash. He also feared someone might
kill him for the money.

EVEN as Ascension
Gonzales scooped up the money encased in a clear plastic bag, he knew he was in trouble.
He did the human thing and looked around to see if anyone saw what happened and
immediately searched for something to disguise the cash, rummaging through trash bins to
find an old container no one could see through. Even as he covered the money he was
weighing the dangers as well as the pleasures that this money could bring into his life.
There was possible arrest, assault, perhaps even being killed. And though these risks
topped the list if he kept the money, there was also his conscience to be wrestled with
since he was a Christian man.

All of us have turned this story around and in our
minds became the star in this happening, immediately looking inward to see how strong we
are in our principles of honesty and integrity. Perhaps in our thoughtful meanderings we
discovered an avarice we did not know we possessed or found ourselves lacking in the
convictions we stalwartly claim to have. Being a Christian does not stop temptation;
in fact, being a Christian sometimes attracts it. The thoughts of an easier lifestyle run
high on the list, so high that the voices of reason are many times shouted down by the
voice of avarice and greed. And how we deal with temptation depends on our spirituality
and moral fiber to do the right thing. In perhaps a moment of clarity amid the visions of
the easy life we might ask ourselves that age old question, "what would Jesus
do"? And even that question can take on a new twist if we allow the forces of evil to
advise us for it can be wrapped up nicely in things like "God wants you to have the
money so take it. Take it, you deserve it"! But if we can pause long enough to ask
God for help, we will make the correct decision. Not for earthly honor and glory but for
what we recognize is right in the sight of our God who knows our sinful nature and
promised never to leave us to face such matters alone. If we can resist with Gods
guidance we become stronger in our faith.

INTERESTLY, the
consensus of the reporters who interviewed several people about this phenomenal happening
presented a varying picture of human greed. After much soul searching, the majority, once
over their dreams of solvency, said they would return the money as Ascension Gonzales did.
Perhaps it is human to contemplate what we would do with that kind of money; to dream of
all the good things we could buy with so much cash. We could, in a few minutes, dream of a
million success stories that are within our reach should we keep such a find; the things
we ordinary people could do to be extraordinary. But to return the money because of safety
of self, because it might be marked, or because we are afraid of being robbed and perhaps
killed is not a perfect action; it is an imperfect act of righteousness. To realize
immediately that it is wrong to keep it and return it without hesitating, justifying or
qualification whatsoever is a perfect act of honesty and Godliness. If we pause for a
moment and look into our hearts, how many of us can attest to that perfect act?

THOUGH the world may
think us foolish if we do as this humble dishwasher did and return the money, we could
claim a new level of strength in winning the battle of human greed, thus bringing us
closer to what God wants us to be. And in our hearts, like in the heart of this honest
young man, we would feel the presence of Almighty God saying "Well done, faithful
servant".

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